Shia pilgrims in Iraq have been the victims of multiple bomb blasts with up to 70 people believed to have been killed in the renewed violence. Attacks in Baghdad as well as the southern Iraqi cities of Balad, Haswa, Hilla and Kerbala, have targeted predominantly Shia areas.  

Sunni insurgents are believed to be responsible for the attacks. The bombings have renewed fears of sectarian conflict within Iraq as the Shia, Sunni and ethnic Kurdish government triumvirate are already facing a crisis with regards to their delicate balance of power-sharing.